basorexia
(n) an overwhelming urge to kiss
"I can't be who she needs me to be, Alex. I'm trying to be a resident and a wife and I'm trying to keep it all together, but I can't."
"You can do this, I know you can. Your Dad would be so proud of how fa...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Charlie stands in front of the mirror. Her fingers run lightly over the puckered skin. Her eyes slip close and her mind flashes back to that day. The day that 2 bullets ripped through her and she thought she was going to die. She pulls herself out of the memories and reaches up to the pull-up bar that hangs in the doorway. Over and over she pulls herself up, counting each time her chin reaches the bar. She does that until her biceps burn, then she goes for a run.
It's a route she's run many times, it goes through the city and then out and into the forest. She runs it for the view. The view from the top is pretty great, it looks over the whole city. Charlie clambers up to the hill, reaching the top to view the sunrise over the city. She takes a seat on a rock and lets out a breath. The city in front of her is illuminated by the golden rays of the sun.
"I woke up to an empty bed this morning. I rolled over to kiss my wife and she wasn't there." Addison playfully slaps the back of Charlie's head and pours herself a cup of coffee. The slaps throw Charlie off and she chokes on her pancakes.
"I'm sorry." She retorts swallowing the food in her mouth. "I couldn't sleep so I worked out then went for a run."
Addison leans her head on her hand and watches Charlie eat her food. "You want to talk about it?" Charlie looks up. "Your thoughts are loud Charlie, and I know what tomorrow is." Charlie just sighs and places down her fork, leaning back in her seat. "Honey, please talk to me."
"I still get nightmares...about that day, about me bleeding out on the floor, about leaving you. Did you know I couldn't look at myself?" Charlie nods her head when Addison furrows her brows. "For almost 3 months afterwards I couldn't look at myself topless because of my scars ." Addison reaches out and clasps Charlie's hand in her own. "I thought I was a goner. I thought that that was it and now every time I look at myself I see where Bailey had to slice me open."
"She did that to save you," Addison emphasises to her wife.
"I know, and I'm grateful, I am."
"I feel like there is a 'but' coming."
"There isn't! Honestly, there isn't. I will always owe Bailey for saving me. Always." Charlie smiles
"Well, I, for one, am very glad that you're okay."
*
"O'Malley! One last study session tonight?" Charlie stops in the doorway of the intern locker room. George looks up from his locker and nods his head. "Okay, meet in the conference room on peds at 6. The rest of you; you have rounded, let's go people!" Charlie smiles at him. She strolls along to the resident's lounge. Alex sits inside scoffing his face with a bowl of cereal.
"Yang was looking for you." He says, his mouth full of the sugary stuff.
"Why?" Charlie pours herself a coffee and watches as Alex shovels the cereal into his mouth.
